The Duke's Willful Wife (14 page)

She looked up at him, startled that he would offer
that kind
of help for someone he didn’t know.  “I’m not sure,” she said. 
“Can I get back to you on that?”

“Absolutely.  Just let me know what I can do.
  I have some resources that can be tapped when needed for emergencies.
”

She smiled in the darkness.  “I’m sure you have lots of untapped resources for finding lost souls.”

He stopped and looked down at her.  “Are you mocking me?” he asked, his voice somewhat threatening.

She quickly shook her head.  “Mock you?  Would I really do something like that?  To the great and all mighty Dante Fuitello?”

He turned and blocked her pathway, forcing her to stop and look up at him.  His hands were on his hips and he was looking stern, but she also saw the gleam of amusement in his eyes.  “I believe you are mocking not only my person, but my reputation now.”

She laughed and shook her head. “Oh, no!  I would never mock your reputation.  The family name is on the line.  Fuitellos always stick together.”

He nodded his head and bent down slightly.  “And don’t you forget it!” he growled. 

They were
walking
down the sidewalk, heading towards the river when a couple caught her eye.  She squinted and looked again.  Was that…?  Oh no! If Dante saw Cristolo….

“Isn’t that Cristolo” Dante asked the same moment that Sasha realized who it was.  Knowing that Cristolo didn’t want Dante to discover his secret, the same
beautiful
secret
that just happened to be
hanging on his arm and staring up into his
eyes
with love and adoration, Sasha knew she had to do something quickly.  With a gasp, she stumbled and held onto Dante’s arm, holding herself up with one hand while reaching down with the other, touching her ankle slightly.  “Oh!” she gasped and limped slightly.

Dante immediately looked down, grabbing hold of her waist and protecting her from falling. 
“W
hat happened?” he asked, immediately concerned. 

Sasha glanced up, looking over Dante’s shoulder to see if Cristolo was still there.  When she didn’t see him, she exhaled and stood up.  “Nothing.  I think my shoe just got caught on one of the rocks.”  She started walking again, relieved
for the moment
but her eyes kept skimming the store fronts, trying to determine where Cristolo had gone
.  “Everything is fine.”

Dante looked at her curiously, then back where Cristolo had been with his girlfriend.  “Wasn’t that…” he started to say, but then shook his head
when he didn’t see his brother anywhere
.  “
Never mind
.”

They walked a few more steps and darn it if Cristolo
didn’t
pop out
one more time
, laughing and hugging his girlfriend close again!  She looked up at Dante but his head was turned away.  Unfortunately, her
heel really did get stuck this time and she fell
i
nto his side.  He immediately grabbed her, but his hand accidentally caught her breast.  He moved it quickly, but as they stood, Sasha was painfully aware of his touch, the heat of his hand.  And her heel
was
still stuck in the crack of the cobblestone sidewalk
so she couldn’t even move back and out of his arms
. 

Dante’s gentlemanly nature came out immediately and he bent down to help, but that was as far as one instinct would go
when
another took over.  As his hands rescued her shoe, they traveled up her leg, sending shivers racing along her body.  She placed a hand on his broad shoulder to steady herself and left it there as he stood up.  Which meant she was closer than was probably safe
under the circumstances
. 

They stared at each other for a long moment, Sasha trying to decide if she wanted this to go any further, wondering what he would do if she reached up and kissed him.  Would he reject her? 
Should she reject him?  What were they doing, standing here like this anyway?  They hated each other, he didn’t trust her, she was still hurt by his accusations…
.and yet….
the heat flowing between them right now was all that really mattered. 

“Sorry,” she whispered, letting her hand drop down.  She shouldn’t even care that he might reject her.  He’d apologized for his assumptions all those years ago, so what was she waiting for?  Could they make a go of it again? 

Did she dare risk her heart when he might just break it again with the next assumption?  Or was he starting to trust her? 
Or, which was more likely the case, he was as caught up in the moment of the night and the unexpected romance of the river walk? 

He pulled back, but not very far as he continued to hold her elbow in his warm hand. 
“How about getting a cup of coffee at that little restaurant?” he suggested
, nodding to a small café on the corner nearest to them
. 

Sasha looked down the street and saw groups of people milling about, the bright lights dancing over their heads and everyone laughing.  But no Cristolo.  “
T
hat sounds nice,” she replied and smiled up at him. 
She was glad that her friend was out of the way but she was unsure about the lack of caution she was feeling as she accepted his invitation to extend their evening together. 

They started strolling slowly towards the restaurant and Sasha wanted so badly for him to put his strong arm around her waist, to feel his security and his love. 
They used to walk arm in arm, his strong arm holding her close no matter where they went before they moved back to Italy.  Dante was not afraid of public displays of affection and it had made her a bit self conscious at first, but she’d learned to love his demonstrative nature.  Now she missed it terribly.  She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it until this moment when he was so close and so handsome.  And
she was so tired of being without him and the painful
loneliness
. 

And that’s when Cristolo re-appeared for a third time, his arm around the woman and they stopped not twenty feet in front of Sasha and Dante.  Cristolo wrapped his arms around th
e blond woman and kissed her., d
eeply and passionately, oblivious to the stare of his older brother.

Sasha did the only thing she could think of at the moment.  She reached up, sliding her hand across Dante’s stomach and feeling the muscles under he
r hand
clench
in reaction
.  And the distraction worked.  With pleading eyes, she stood on her tip toes and tilted her head, pulling his head down for her kiss.  As a distraction, it was magnificent.  Dante couldn’t pull away and groaned as his arms pulled her closer. 

As a way to get Dante out of the area, it worked even better, giving Cristolo a chance to escape without a confrontation from his older brother. 
As
for everything else, for all the questions Sasha had for Dante, for the clarification on the apology earlier in the evening
and trying to figure out what was going on between them right now, if it was real or just a lapse of judgment
, it was a disaster. 

At the moment though, Sasha didn’t care.  For so long, she’d wanted Dante to hold her, to kiss her, to feel his strong arms around her pulling her closer and feeling the demand in those fingers
and in his touch
. 
N
ow she had it and she gloried in the feel of being with him again. 

As he kissed her, she loved the way his hand held her head, angling her head the way he wanted but he was so gentle and she wasn’t ready for gentleness right now.  She wanted his power, she wanted to feel his desire for her and give her confirmation that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.  As she pressed herself against him, she felt his body react and knew that she’d gotten her answer.  She moved against him, giving him the same answer and showing him how much she wanted him, how badly she needed this from him and only him. 

“Come,” he ordered and grabbed her hand, almost dragging her to the street where his driver was waiting.  Sasha didn’t mind though.  As they dove into the back seat, he immediately pulled her back into his arms, kissing her with a ravenous hunger that matched her own. 

He didn’t wait until they arrived back at the house, pulling her dress higher, his hands skimming along her thighs and finding the tops of her stockings, groaning as his fingers touched bare skin. 

“You wore these on purpose, just to drive me crazy, didn’t you?” he growled and bit her ear lobe.

Sasha shivered and started to pull away, but he stopped her, pulling the zipper down on the back of her dress.  “I didn’t even know
we
were going to the same dinner party tonight.  So no, I didn’t do it to drive you crazy.”

“Doesn’t matter.  It worked!” he pulled down the silk fabric, revealing her breasts that were swollen and ready for his touch.  But he held off for a moment, his eyes taking in the pert nipples and the black lace covering the treasure. 

His hand slipped the black strap down and one globe was released.  While his fingers came down, circling her breast, she held very still, her body craving his touch on her breast more than anything right at the moment. 

“You’re beautiful,” he said and his mouth touched her neck, her ear and nibbled along her shoulder but he didn’t touch her breast.  She tried to take his hand and place it where she wanted it, but he grabbed her hand and pulled it behind her, gently holding her where he wanted her.  “Not yet,” he replied softly a moment before his mouth continued his exploration of her body. 

The car pulled up by the house a moment later and Dante made quick work of pulling her bra and dress back in place.  He then lifted her up and smoothed her dress down over her legs a moment before he opened the limousine door and stepped out.  He held her hand as Sasha stepped out, but didn’t wait a moment later, pulling her into the house. 

“I want you, Sasha,” he said and then he swung her up into his arms, carrying her rapidly up the stairs and into the bedroom right next to the one she’d been occupying for the past week.  He slammed the door shut with his foot and carried her over to the bed, letting her legs drop to the floor and stepping away just for the moment.  His quick fingers unzipped her dress again, then pushed it to the floor.  He flicked on the light beside his bed and stared down at her, his hand reaching one more time for her bra, unsnapping the whole thing and whipping it off her.  She stood there before him in just her underwear, thigh high stockings and teal sling back shoes, feeling decadent and wanted as his eyes roved over her nearly naked body.

“Are you just going to stare?” she taunted, needing his touch, but afraid to touch him first. 

In response, his hands smoothed up her rib cage, cupping her breasts in his large, warm hands.  “I don’t think so,” he replied, contemplating her breasts with real interest.  “No more waiting,” he said and he bent down and took her right nipple in his mouth, tasting and sucking until she cried out and her hands were in his hair, holding him
in place
and pulling him back at the same time before moving on to the other one. 
He gently laid her on the bed, his strong arms holding her above her as he looked down at her.

“Don’t stop!” she cried out and moved against him, encouraging him the best way she could.  Her hands were restless as they moved from his head to his shoulders, smoothing along the muscles of his arms, then back up and down his back, reveling in the feeling of his warm skin and hard muscles. 

“I can’t wait!” he said and stood up, tearing off his clothes as he looked down at her, her dark hair spilled out against his bed, her body writhing for his return and he pulled his shirt over his head, not willing to take the time to undo the buttons.  His slacks were simply a nuisance and he tossed them behind him with his boxers before coming back to her on the bed.  He kissed her one more time while his hands moved under her knees, bending her legs so that he could position himself above her.  He lifted himself up and watched her face as he entered her, his own expression one of concentration as he worked hard to not climax as her heat enveloped him.  He’d done this so many times in his dreams and now she was finally here and he was going to enjoy her sensuous body. 

As he sheathed himself in her, he marveled at how perfect she was for him.  And as he moved inside her, faster as she came closer and he tried to move in ways that would increase her pleasure, he loved the way she gave all of herself to him during these moments. 

And then, as she throbbed around him with her climax and her soft hands gripped his shoulders tightly, he let himself stop thinking and just feel, pouring himself into her tight body as he experienced his own mind-blowing orgasm. 

When it was all over, he pulled her close, falling asleep with her head cradled in his arms and her soft, slender body curled up next to his. 

Chapter
4

Sasha rolled over and sighed with happiness when Dante pulled her closer.  “Good morning,” he said, his voice all husky with the morning and
his obvious
desire.